New: this game comes with the next update of the app.
Hive Stacks guide
How to play Hive Stacks
Hive Stacks is a calm colour puzzle on a honeycomb. Drop stacks of tiles on the hive, and equal colours on top slide together. Ten of one colour and Gnatz eats them. Reach the goal before the hive fills up. No timer, no rush.
Hive Stacks rules
The rules in one minute
Every level gives you a hive of empty cells and three stacks of coloured tiles. Each stack goes on a free cell:
- Three stacks to choose from. They wait in the tray below the hive. Each one goes on a free cell.
- Any order you like. Pick a stack, then a cell. Left to right is not a rule.
- All three down? Three new ones. The tray only fills up again once it is empty.
Once a stack is down, it stays where it is. The next three only come when all three are placed, so look at all of them before the first drop. The stacks of a level are fixed: every player gets the same ones in the same order, wherever they put them.
Sliding together
Same colour on top? They join up
After every drop, the neighbours are checked. When two cells side by side have the same colour on top, the smaller top run slides over onto the bigger one.
- Same colour, next door. The top colour of the stack matches the top of the outlined cell.
- The smaller run slides over. 3 tiles slide onto the 4 of the same colour. The number on top shows the new count.
Rule 1
Ten of a colour get eaten
As soon as ten or more tiles of one colour lie on top of a cell, Gnatz eats them. They count towards the goal of the level, and the cell has room again.
- Building up to ten … This drop brings enough of one colour together.
- … and Gnatz eats them. 12 tiles of one colour on top: gone in one bite.
- Every tile counts. The goal bar moves up to 12 of 80.
Rule 2
Chain reactions
When tiles leave a cell, the colour underneath comes to the top. If it matches a neighbour, it slides on too, and the next ten can go right away.
- One drop … Watch what happens after the first slide.
- … a whole chain. Ten get eaten, the colour underneath comes to the top and slides on, and the next ten go too: a combo.
The number on a stack shows how many tiles of its top colour lie on top. A stack shows six tiles at most, so the number is what counts.
Goal and stars
Reach the goal before the hive is full
The bar above the hive counts every tile Gnatz eats. Reach the goal of the level and it is solved, always with three stars.
- The bar counts every tile. Above the hive: 90 of 100 eaten so far.
- The last drops. Each one adds what Gnatz eats.
- Goal reached: solved! Every solved level gives three stars.
Rule 1
A full hive ends the round
If a drop leaves no free cell, the hive is full and the level is lost. Restart is free and deals the very same stacks again.
- A cluttered hive. Few free cells left, and the stacks don’t match their neighbours.
- Nothing slides. Every drop just takes another cell.
- The hive is full. No free cell left after a drop: the level is lost.
- Try again for free. Restart deals the very same stacks, so you can plan better.
How to play
Hive Stacks in Beasties, step by step
The goal bar sits at the top, the hive fills the middle and the three stacks wait in a tray below. Gnatz peeks over the hive, waiting for his next meal.
- Pick a stack. Tap it, and it gets a yellow outline. You can also drag it straight onto the hive.
- Tap a free cell. The stack lands there, and equal colours on top slide together.
- The next one. Pick the next stack and drop it, until all three are down.
There are no paid helpers in Hive Stacks, no hint and no undo: just Restart, and that one is free. Spend your stars on monster parts or level packs instead.
Tutorial
Your first hive
Before level 1, a small hive of seven cells shows you the idea in three drops.
- A tiny hive. Seven cells and a goal of 20. Pink and teal are already there.
- Pink next to pink. The three pink tiles join the three next door: six pink.
- Into the middle. Six teal plus four teal make ten. Gnatz eats them, and the orange underneath slides on.
- The goal. The bar shows 10 of 20. Ten more to go.
- Finish it. Four pink next to the six make ten again, and the goal is reached.
Difficulty levels
Four difficulties
The hives below are level 1 of each difficulty, with their first three stacks. Bigger hives, more colours and more mixed stacks make each step harder.
Chill
19 cells · 5 colours · goal 80
Few colours, lots of room. The best place to learn how stacks slide together.
Normal
19 cells · 6 colours · goal 100
Six colours and taller stacks on the same hive. Keep a few cells free.
Tricky
37 cells · 7 colours · goal 150
A bigger hive with seven colours and a higher goal. Plan where each colour lives.
Devilish
37 cells · 8 colours · goal 120
Eight colours and stacks with up to four colours. One careless drop fills the hive.
Chill and Normal play on a hive of 19 cells, Tricky and Devilish on 37. Chill has five colours and a goal of 80 tiles, Normal six colours and 100, Tricky seven colours and 150. Devilish has eight colours, a goal of 120 and stacks with up to four colours. Chill, Normal and Tricky have 150 free levels each. You unlock the rest for free with the stars you win, or all at once with Pro. Every player gets the same stacks in the same order, so the solutions on this site match your app.
Hive Stacks strategy
Three habits for a tidy hive
Most rounds are lost to clutter, not to bad luck. These three habits come from real levels of the app.
Tip 1
Drop it next to its colour
Look at the top colour of the stack first, then find a neighbour with the same colour on top. A stack placed where nothing matches just takes up a cell.
- Where does it fit? The top colour of this stack already lives on the outlined cell.
- Not here. On the glowing cell nothing around matches. The stack would just sit there.
- Right next to its colour. It slides together, and here it even gets ten eaten.
Tip 2
Pick the best order
You can place the three stacks in any order. Start with the one that gets tiles eaten: the cell it frees may be the best spot for the next one.
- Three stacks, your order. The left one is not always the best start.
- First the one that clears. This stack gets ten eaten and frees a cell.
- Then use the room. The next stack goes right into the cell that just got free.
Tip 3
Grow one pile per colour
Bring a colour together on one cell and let it grow. Once it is close to ten, the next stack with that colour on top finishes it, and the cell is free again.
- Grow a pile. This drop brings 9 tiles of one colour together on one cell.
- Then top it up. The next stack with that colour on top makes ten.
- Gone in one bite. Gnatz eats the pile, and the goal bar moves on.
Short on room? When only a few cells are free, every drop should slide or get something eaten. A stack that matches nothing is best placed at the edge, away from the piles you are building.
Solutions
Stuck on a level?
Every level has its own solution page, free and Pro. Watch the solution stack by stack, play the level yourself with the same stacks, or see where every stack goes.
FAQ
Hive Stacks questions, short answers
How do you play Hive Stacks?
Drag each of the three stacks onto a free cell of the hive, or tap a stack and then a cell. Equal colours on top of neighbouring cells slide together, and ten of one colour get eaten. Reach the goal of the level before the hive is full.
Can I look up the rules during a round?
Yes. Tap the gear at the top left of the round: Settings open, and their Game guide row takes you straight to the rules of this game, what is special in it and how the stars work. You also find the guide behind the ? on the level start and in Settings on the home screen.
Which tiles slide together?
Only the top colour of a stack counts. When two neighbouring cells have the same colour on top, the smaller top run moves onto the bigger one. Colours further down wait until they come to the top.
When does Gnatz eat the tiles?
As soon as ten or more tiles of one colour lie on top of a cell. They are counted towards the goal, and the colour underneath can slide on right away.
What does the number on a stack mean?
It shows how many tiles of the top colour lie on top. Tall stacks only show their top six tiles, so the number tells you the real count.
Do I have to place the stacks from left to right?
No. Place the three stacks in any order you like. Three new ones come once all three are on the hive.
Can I move a stack once it is placed?
No. A stack stays on its cell until its tiles slide away or get eaten. That is why it pays to look before you drop.
What happens when the hive is full?
The level is lost. Restart is free and gives you exactly the same stacks again, so you can try a better plan.
How many stars do I get?
Reaching the goal always gives three stars. There are no hints or other helpers in Hive Stacks that could cost you one.
Are the stacks random?
They look random, but every level has fixed stacks: every player gets the same ones in the same order, and a restart deals them again. That is why the solution pages match your game.
Is there a timer?
No. Hive Stacks has no clock and no move limit. Take as long as you like for every drop, and play offline without ads.